This application is a national stage of PCT International Application No. PCT/EP2007/096060, filed Feb. 9, 2007, which claims priority under 35 U.S.C. §119 to German Patent Application No. 10 2006 008 090.4, filed Feb. 22, 2006, the disclosure(s) of which is (are) expressly incorporated by reference herein.
The invention relates to an arrangement for mounting a cab on a truck frame.
European patent document EP 0 972 700A2 discloses an apparatus in which a driver's cab is supported on a vehicle frame by a stabilizer rocker. The stabilizer rocker includes a stabilizer tube extending from the front end of the driver's cab, and two stabilizer arms coupled to the stabilizer tube, the two stabilizer arms protruding laterally to the rear of the stabilizer tube. The upper end of a spring damper element, by which the stabilizer rocker or the front end of the driver's cab is resiliently mounted is coupled to the corner region between the stabilizer tube and one of the stabilizer arms. The rear end of each stabilizer arm is coupled via a respective bearing eye to an associated bearing mount which is fastened to the upper side of an assigned longitudinal member of the vehicle frame. The two bearing brackets are fastened flexibly to the vehicle frame and are designed as energy absorbing devices in the event of a collision, such as a head on impact in the region of the driver's cab (i.e. essentially above the vehicle frame) in particular to be able to absorb the impact energy. Accordingly, in the event of a head on collision, if the driver's cab of the truck strikes against another truck, the impact energy introduced via the stabilizer rocker is absorbed in the region of the lateral bearing mounts.
However, a disadvantage of this known energy absorbing device is that the bearing mounts require a very complicated manner of design in order to absorb energy to a sufficient extent. Furthermore, bearing mounts of this type are generally of relatively narrow design as viewed in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle. Therefore deformation travel during the collapse of the bearing mounts is extremely limited. In addition, the lateral bearing arms and the bearing eyes which connect the lateral bearing arms to the respectively associated bearing mounts further require a very complicated manner of design to achieve a desired sequence of deformation.
It is therefore one object of the present invention to provide a truck of the type mentioned above having an energy absorbing device that is constructed more simply.
Another object of the invention is to provide such a truck with an energy absorbing device that achieves a greater deformation travel during a collapse.
Another object of the invention is to provide a truck cab mounting arrangement having with a simplified design.
These and other objects of the invention are achieved by the truck cab mounting arrangement according to the invention, in which the energy absorbing device of the mounting arrangement comprises at least one supporting element to mount a stabilizer tube of the stabilizer rocker to the vehicle frame. That is, according to the invention the front-most part of the stabilizer rocker, such as the stabilizer tube, is directly supported relative to the vehicle frame. As a result, design of lateral stabilizer arms, bearing brackets and bearing eyes arranged in between may be simplified, as the stabilizer tube is mounted on the vehicle frame via the at least one supporting element. Furthermore, the mounting clement can be formed an appropriate length such that a favorable force path between the stabilizer tube on the driver's cab side and the vehicle frame can be achieved when impact energy is introduced. The supporting element may be dimensioned to provide a improved deformation travel of the energy absorbing device in a simple manner.
According to the invention, the mounting element may be arranged between the stabilizer tube (which is spring mounted with the driver's cab) and the vehicle frame (which is fixed relative thereto) in such a manner that the bearing movement of the stabilizer rocker or of the stabilizer tube is not impaired.
According to another feature of the invention, two supporting elements may be arranged on an assigned longitudinal member of the vehicle frame. In that fashion, impact energy resulting from a head on collision with little width overlap with the other vehicle may be uniformly distributed to the energy absorbing device and/or the vehicle frame.
An energy absorbing device of the present invention can be realized in a particularly simple manner in that the supporting element may be supported on the vehicle frame and/or on a component connected thereto via a crash box. Thus, an arrangement may be provided, in which crash boxes collapses in the event of a head on impact while the associated supporting elements are not deformed at least in an initial phase of the collision.
By supporting a crash box on the upper side of the associated frame longitudinal member, force may be easily transferred to it. A stop may be coupled to the associated frame longitudinal member at that end of the crash box which faces away from the supporting element, such that impact energy present after the complete collapse of the crash box can be introduced into the frame longitudinal member in a simple manner.
In one embodiment, the mounting element may be configured to allow the stabilizer rocker and/or the stabilizer tube to be able to move freely as it executes its bearing movement. For example, the mounting element may include a slotted guide opening and/or an elongated hole through which the stabilizer tube is guided. In an alternate embodiment, one of a flexible articulation component, a coupling or the like, via which the impact energy in the event of a collision can be transmitted and the free bearing movement of the stabilizer tube can be ensured, can be provided in the region of the supporting element for example at the connecting point to the crash box.
In a further embodiment of the invention, the bearing brackets mounting the stabilizer rocker can be displaced to the rear in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle in the event of a collision. It is therefore possible to essentially displace the entire front driver's cab mounting to the rear if appropriate with the absorption of impact energy. For this purpose, the bearing brackets may be fixed in relation to the frame longitudinal member by connecting means in such a manner that said connecting means can be released or destroyed during an impact induced displacement of the bearing brackets. In yet a further embodiment of the invention, a further energy absorbing device simply may be provided between the bearing brackets and the associated frame longitudinal members and/or components connected thereto such that energy can also be absorbed between the guided bearing brackets and the assigned frame longitudinal members. Energy absorption of this type can be realized by providing predetermined breaking points in the region of the frame longitudinal member or of a component assigned thereto.
Other objects, advantages and novel features of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description of the invention when considered in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.